The Welsh Assembly Government recently published a consultation[1] on proposals for a Sustainable Development Bill, legislation which aims to place sustainable development at the heart of all Welsh Government and public sector decision-making. We support such innovative proposals, and believe that it could offer a pioneering opportunity to create a sustainable Wales in the long-term, whilst also setting a positive example to the rest of the world in light of determined actions to approach environmental, economic and social decision making within a long-term and holistic framework.

However, we believe that a number of modifications to the initial proposals are necessary in order to improve the shaping of the legislation, and produce a text that sets Wales truly on the path of delivering a sustainable economy within environmental limits. These suggestions are highlighted within our position paper below, and include the need for the new sustainable development duty to be stronger than the one proposed, backed by supporting statutory strategies as mechanisms for achieving sustainable development, an agreement with the proposal for an independent commissioner to review and assess the Welsh Government’s progress on meeting the legislation, and the need for more clarity in terms of the contained definition of sustainable development.

Read SCCCs position paper here: SCCC formatted SD Bill July 2012

Read more about Sustainable Development here.